Pioneer, Founder, Horticulturalist and Philantropist. Murray did not graduate from medical school; his title was bestowed upon him for outstanding medical service he rendered to the wounded during the Civil War. He arrived in Banning, California in 1876 from his native Scotland to take advantage of the dry climate which helped his failing health. In 1886, he purchased 5 acres of land in nearby Palm Valley (later Palm Springs) and hired local Indians to build what would become the first hotel in the area. Murray then planted 22 varieties of fruit trees, plants and shrubs on the surrounding acreage, creating an oasis on the grounds of The Palm Springs Hotel. Concerned with the lack of reading material in the village, he built an adobe room at the rear of his hotel for a library and loaned out books from his personal collection. In 1893, he was appointed the first trustee of the Desert School District. When his son, Erskine, died in 1894, Murray interred him on a 2-acre triangular parcel of land that he owned at the end of Chino Drive, therefore creating the first cemetery in Palm Springs which was later named after him. Murray eventually went on to acquire an additional 80 acres in the surrounding area donating much of it to the city upon his death. In 1938, his son George, donated land in the heart of the city for the construction of the Welwood Murray Memorial Library which opened in 1941. Murray, who was known as "The Patriarch of Palm Springs", also had a canyon and park named for him.
Pioneer, Founder, Horticulturalist and Philantropist. Murray did not graduate from medical school; his title was bestowed upon him for outstanding medical service he rendered to the wounded during the Civil War. He arrived in Banning, California in 1876 from his native Scotland to take advantage of the dry climate which helped his failing health. In 1886, he purchased 5 acres of land in nearby Palm Valley (later Palm Springs) and hired local Indians to build what would become the first hotel in the area. Murray then planted 22 varieties of fruit trees, plants and shrubs on the surrounding acreage, creating an oasis on the grounds of The Palm Springs Hotel. Concerned with the lack of reading material in the village, he built an adobe room at the rear of his hotel for a library and loaned out books from his personal collection. In 1893, he was appointed the first trustee of the Desert School District. When his son, Erskine, died in 1894, Murray interred him on a 2-acre triangular parcel of land that he owned at the end of Chino Drive, therefore creating the first cemetery in Palm Springs which was later named after him. Murray eventually went on to acquire an additional 80 acres in the surrounding area donating much of it to the city upon his death. In 1938, his son George, donated land in the heart of the city for the construction of the Welwood Murray Memorial Library which opened in 1941. Murray, who was known as "The Patriarch of Palm Springs", also had a canyon and park named for him.
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